When Purrfect Pals was founded in 1988, spay and neuter was not a high priority and it was common for shelters to adopt out unaltered animals. Many still believed that female cats and dogs should not be spayed until they had delivered one litter or, at least, experienced one estrus or “heat” cycle (typically 6 months to one year at the earliest).
In 1991, Purrfect Pals took a controversial step when we made pediatric spay and neuter our standard operating procedure. After much research and discussion about the pros and cons of this groundbreaking approach to population management, we started spaying and neutering kittens as soon as they weighed at least two pounds. We formed a partnership with Dr. Mike Pfeifer, who had just opened Inglemoor Animal Hospital in Kenmore and supported our no-kill mission.